The Relationship Conundrum
by northernscarlet
Summary: AU Drabble. Rose and River talk about their relationship.


**_Title:_**_ The Relationship Conundrum_

**_Category: _**_Doctor Who_

**_Summary_**_: AU Drabble. River and Rose talk about their relationship. _

**_Pairings:_**_ Rose/River, Rose/Doctor, River/Doctor, Amy/Rory_

**_Author's Notes:_**_ This drabble is weird and out of left field. I do not know where this came from. All I know was that I couldn't sleep and I just needed to write something down. This is right off the cuff, but I just want to post it on FF. I'll come back and fix it up a bit later. I'm not even entirely sure I captured the characters right. _

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I owned nothing._

* * *

"Amy, please. I know what I am doing," said the Doctor as he randomly flipped a few switches. Knitting his eyebrows together, he proceeded to unflipped the flipped switches. "Well, maybe."

"Great. Just great," replied Amy. She walked over to Rory and leaned on the rail.

"Doctor, we were transparent. This was not normal," commented Rory. "Right?"

Amy gave her husband a hard poke. "Rory, in what universe do you think that resembling a ghost is normal? Seriously."

Rory rubbed his arm. "I was making conversation."

"Well, don't." Amy gave a pause. "Is it?" asked Amy, directing her question to the Doctor. Rory raised his eyebrows. "What? I'm just covering the basics."

"Hmm hmm," replied her husband.

"No need to worry, Ponds! It is done and over with. Back to normalcy and all that, I think." The Doctor raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head.

* * *

"What are you doing? We can't just steal the TARDIS."

"This is not stealing, just borrowing. Besides, the TARDIS is not even his in the first place."

"River..."

"It'll be fun. We could get away. Have an adventure." River gave the blonde a look. "Talk."

"Like how you tried to poison me with that Judas tree lipstick?" said Rose, smiling.

"Hey! You're the one who keeps giving me colored lipsticks for all my operations!"

"So you weren't trying to kill me?" Rose smirked.

"I was just giving you a kiss. Anyway, the poison was for the Doctor."

"Didn't work very well, did it? You gave in."

"And you gave me the lipstick to kill the person you claimed to love. I call that a dysfunctional relationship."

"Like the one we're in now?"

"I like to think that we are functional."

Rose gave River a look.

"Then what do you call it then?" asked River.

"A couple."

River laughed. "What a lousy answer."

The two fell in silence.

"Why did you get him to marry you?" whispered Rose.

River said nothing.

"You said that we needed to have a talk. About me. About you. It works both way, River. You wanted to know more about my life and my past. I need to know more of your intentions."

The red head walked away from the blonde and stood opposite from her on the other side of the console.

"I wanted to know how much you mean to him," River finally said.

Rose gave River a sympathetic look. "You know that that is impossible. He doesn't even remember me. No memories, no feelings."

"And that is where you are wrong."

Rose sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. "Okay, explain."

"You two spent so many years together, having adventures and creating new memories. Something like that could not be erased by some lousy Time Lords who think they are doing what is best for the universe. A love like that...it stays. No matter what." River paused. "Look at my parents, for example. When my father fell into the crack, my mother, though she doesn't even know him, misses him. She had a hole in her heart. She might of forgotten about Rory, but her mind didn't."

"So, you saying that there's still hope for me and Theta? What happened to you and me?"

"You know I'll always love you. It just that what we have...it's nothing compared to what you have with him."

Rose walked over to River. "Don't say that. Don't you ever say that. You saved me that night. Not him. You. Don't sell yourself short." The blonde pulled the red head in for a hug before giving her a kiss. "Don't you ever think yourself any less worthy than the Doctor."

River gave Rose a sad smile before pulling away from the embrace. "My turn. Why did you let me in?"

Rose was taken back. "I'm sorry?"

"You know, that day. The day I finally got you to talk and open up to me. Three hundred seventy-one days after I pulled you out from the void."

"You are not going to like the answer," admitted Rose, her hands nervously played with her hair.

"It's because of him, isn't it?"

"You reminded me of him," said Rose.

River gave Rose a surprised look. "How so?"

"You are both strong. Independent. Intent on saving everyone and everything while causing your own version of recklessness and spunk. I knew that if I ever let myself fall for any reason or for anyone...it should be you. Because of who you are. You are someone I can be myself with."

"And play around with the Doctor's life?"

Rose laughed. "That too." She gave River a loving look before turning her attention back to the console.

Silence fell. Nothing but the sound of the TARDIS between the two of them.

"But he's your end," said River, speaking the undeniable truth to their situation.

Rose paused before looking up River, her eyes shinning. "He may be my beginning and my end, but you are my now."

There was a moment of stillness before River reached out to Rose and grabbed her hand. "I'm your now." She gave a finally squeeze of reassurance before letting go. "Come on. We need to mess his life a bit more. Drive him more crazy."

Rose gave River a long kiss before saying, "Fantastic."


End file.
